What's buzzing or flying near you 2023 ?

Yes Lori, I was reading an article on it a couple of days ago, it's madness. If birds were called by their Latin names like plants there wouldn't be a problem.

I believe it's only America at the moment and hope we don't go down the same road here.

 

They seem concerned about offending certain people but they mean nothing to us here. The only British bird I can think of with someone's name is the Cetti's Warbler. Some other countries have names of people such as Von Der Decken's Hornbill and Fischer's Starling in kenya.

 

Greenshank.


Brent Goose.


Oystercatchers.

 

I often wonder how the common names of birds are picked here in Britain. Taking two of @strongylodon's shots above into consideration.

Greenshank - I can't see any green?
Oystercatcher - I've watched hundreds of these birds and never seen one catch an oyster.

 

It was wading in the mud so it was a Greyshank!!!

 

Your lady works miracles...
my best wishes to you both ,
Jenny namaste

 

On the subject of name changes in the US, four wind blown birds I have seen here all have a person's name.
Wilson's Phalarope, Forster's Tern, Franklin's Gull and Sabine's Gull. I wonder what names they will end up with?

 

I've just looked those up @strongylodon and the names are connected to ornithologists or similar. The problem which has arisen in America is the peoples names that have been chosen for birds are connected to slavery, racism etc.

 

The thing is by hiding the past it is just swept under the carpet and everyone forgets about it, we should be learning from past mistakes not trying to sanitise history.

 

You can change the latin names but how do you change the common names.
They have changed twitter to X, but every time I hear it mentioned the statement is X formerly known as Twitter, so what was the point in changing something then having to explain ever time you mention it.

 

I's all newspapers and other media feeling they have to explain... "X" is well known to anyone who hasn't been locked alone in a dark cell in total silence and fed gruel for the last 3 1/2 months. It is interesting that X, a second-level internet domain name, was used nearly 25 years ago, as the name of an online bank. Guess who owned/owns the domain name "x.com"? Yes! One Mr Musk! "X" now redirects to Twitter, leading me to wonder about whether or not the name really was in fact independently suggested by a third party. The online bank has, by various changes, morphed into Paypal.

 

A drake Wigeon in winter plumage, thousands here now.

 

Oh, I really like the wing shading however my favourites are the ones that have a dash of colour here and there.

Those oystercatchers above have such vivid beaks and "eyeliner"